Shoe support



March 31, 1942.

Filed March 20, 1941 Patented Mar. 31, 1942 FFICEI SHOE SUPPORT Application March 20, 1941, Serial No. 384,229 4 Claims. (Cl. 12-123) This invention relates to shoe supports, and more particularly to means for supporting the heel ends of shoes and their lasts. The invention is herein illustrated as applied to a shoe support designed for use in a. heel-end lasting machine and constructed substantially as disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,001,732, granted on May 21, 1935, on an application of J. C. J orgensen. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to shoe supports of that particular construction or for use in machines of that particular character.

An object of the invention is to provide improved means for preventing any of the upper of a high shoe from being pinched between the top face of the heel end of the last and means which supports that portion of the last, with possible danger of damage to the upper materials. For the purpose in View, the construction herein shown comprises a pair of upper-spreading members having upper-spreading portions located respectively at opposite sides of the usual pin which enters the spindle hole in the heel end of the last and arranged to engage the top face of the heel end of the last as the last is presented on the pin, the upper-spreading portions of the members being movable away from each other widthwise of the last in spreading engagement with the upper in response to the pressure of the last thereon until they are far enough apart to receive the heel end of the last between them, whereupon they engage the opposite side faces of the last between the last and the upper as the last is moved farther into place on the pin. As herein illustrated, the upper-spreading members are mounted to swing about a common axis extending lengthwise of the last and intersecting the axis of the last pin, and are controlled by a spring against the resistance of which they are swung to cause their upper-spreading portions to spread the upper as above described and by means of which those portions of the members are thereafter held against the opposite side faces of the last. Insurance is thus afforded that no portion of the upper materials will be so located as to be pinched between the top face of the heel end of the last and the means which supports the last by engagement with that face.

The novel features of the invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing and therafter pointed out in the claims,

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of the upper portion of a shoe support such as shown and described in the above-mentioned Letters Patent, with the present invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but illustrating how the parts are positioned with reference to a last and shoe, shown in section, on the shoev support.

As more fully disclosed in the above-mentioned Letters Patent, the shoe support shown for purposes of illustration comprises a post 2 provided at its upper end with a block 4 in which is secured a last pin 6 arranged to enter the usual spindle hole in the heel end of the last, the block 4 being mounted in a curved guideway 8 in the post to permit the shoe to tip about an axis extending lengthwise of the last. Mounted on the block 4 is a plate id arranged to engage the top face of the heel end of the last to support the last, this plate having downwardly extending curved flanges each seated on a correspondingly curved surface of the block to permit the plate to tip relatively to the pin 8 about an axis extending widthwise of the last and thus to adjust itself to the last, as disclosed in the above-mentioned Letters Patent.

For purposes of this invention there are provided a pair of upper-spreading members l2 each having a substantially U-shaped portion 14 partially embracing the block 4 and the two arms of which are pivotally mounted on the shanks of screws threaded in the block in alinement with, each other. The two members l2 are thus mounted to swing about a common axis extending lengthwise of a last mounted on the pin 6 and substantially intersecting the axis of the pin. The members 82 have upwardly extending fingers l8 arranged to move toward or from each other widthwise of the last as the members swing about their common axis. A spring 20 connected to the U-shaped portions of the members tends to swing them in directions to move the fingers l8 toward each other and holds the fingers normally in engagement with the opposite sides of the last pin as illustrated in Fig. 1. As a last having the upper of a high shoe thereon is presented on the pin, the upper ends of the fingers l8 are engaged by the top face of the heel end of the last, and in response to the pressure of this face of the last on the fingers the members l2 are swung against the resistance of the spring 20 in such directions as to carry the fingers away from each other until they are far enough apart to receive the top portion of the heel end of the last between them. As the last is then moved farther into place on the pin toward the supporting plate It], the top portion of the heel end of the last enters between the fingers which then engage the opposite side faces of the last between the last and the upper and are held in engagement with these faces by the spring 2!], as shown in Fig. 3. It will thus be seen that the fingers l8 are initially in positions to deflect the top portion of the heel end of the upper away from the plate ID as the last is moved downwardly on the pin toward the fingers, and that by their outward swinging movements in response to the pressure of the last thereon they have thereafter a further spreading action on the upper such as to insure that no portion of the upper materials will be pinched between the plate I and the top face of the heel end of the last. It will be evident that the swinging of the fingers l8 in response to the pressure of the last thereon results from the fact that the portions of the fingers which are engaged by the last are displaced from each other widthwise of the last relatively to the axis about which they swing, and since the spring 29 is a comparatively light spring but little pressure on the last is needed to operate the fingers. The comparatively simple construction disclosed is thus invariably effective to accomplish the object in view without any special attention on the operators part and without requiring any substantial amount of extra effort on his part.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a shoe support, the combination with a pin arranged to enter the spindle hole in the heel end of a last, of a pair of upper-spreading members having upper-spreading portions located respectively at opposite sides of said pin in positions to engage the top face of the heel end of the last as the last is presented on the pin, said upperspreading portions of the members being movable away from each other widthwise of the last in response to pressure of said top face of the last thereon until they are far enough apart to receive the heel end of the last between them and being arranged thereafter to engage the opposite side faces of the last between the last and the upper as the last is moved farther into place on the pin.

2. In a shoe support, the combination with a pin arranged to enter the spindle hole in the heel end of a last, of a pair of upper-spreading members having upper-spreading portions located respectively at opposite sides of said pin in positions to engage the top face of the heel end of the last as the last is presented on the pin, said members being pivotally mounted in such relation to the pin as to cause their upper-spreading portions to swing away from each other widthwise of the last in response to pressure of said top face of the last thereon until they are far enough apart to receive the heel end of the last between them, and spring means yieldable to permit such movements of the upper-spreading portions of the members and arranged to hold them thereafter in engagement with the opposite side faces of the heel end of the last between the last and the upper as the last is moved farther into place on the pin.

3. In a shoe support, the combination with a pin arranged to enter the spindle hole in the heel end of a last, of a pair of upper-spreading members having upper-spreading portions located respectively at opposite sides of said pin in positions to engage the top face of the heel end of the last as the last is presented on the pin, said members being mounted for swinging movements about an axis extending lengthwise of the last and substantially intersecting the axis of said pin to cause their upper-spreading portions to move away from each other widthwise of the last in response to pressure of said top face of the last thereon until they are far enough apart to receive the heel end of the last between them, and spring means yieldable to permit such movements of the members and arranged to hold their upper-spreading portions thereafter in engagement with the opposite side faces of the last between the last and the upper as the last is moved farther into place on the pin.

4. In a shoe support, the combination with a pin arranged to enter the spindle hole in the heel end of a last, and a block on which said pin is mounted, of a pair of upper-spreading members having substantially U-shaped portions extending about said block and mounted for swinging movements about a common axis extending lengthwise of the last and substantially intersecting the axis of said pin, said members being provided also with fingers arranged to extend heightwise of the last from said U-shaped portions and located respectively at opposite sides of said pin in positions to be engaged by the top face of the heel end of the last as the last is presented on the pin and to be swung away from each other in response to the pressure of said face thereon until they are far enough apart to receive the heel end of the last between them, and spring means yieldable to permit such movements of the fingers and arranged to hold them thereafter in engagement with the opposite side faces of the last between the last and the upper as the last is moved farther into place on the pin.

LLOYD G. MILLER. 

